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Date Published: 18/09/2023

Spanish government admits Animal Welfare Law is not ready to be enforced

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Several rules, including insurance for dogs, need further work before they become law in Spain

Spanish government admits Animal Welfare Law is not ready to be enforced

Pet owners in Spain can take a bit of a breather since the Spanish government has admitted that several regulations included in the new Animal Welfare Law, originally set to come into force on September 29, simply aren’t ready and won’t be enforced just yet.

The announcement comes after mass confusion about certain rules including the specifics surrounding civil liability insurance for dogs and online training courses.

In an official circular that was sent out on Thursday September 14, the General Directorate of Animal Rights conceded that some aspects of the legislation “in purely legal terms, are not effectively applicable until the regulatory development of said precepts is clarified, in accordance of the provisions thereof.” The Ministry also acknowledged that it has received numerous queries from concerned pet owners.

The regulations in question will come into force once these problems are ironed out, but there is another sticking point. An acting government, such as the one in place at the moment, actually doesn’t have the power to legislate. This means that the new regulations can’t be approved until a new national president is invested and a cabinet formed. The timeline for this is anybody’s guess.

These are the points of the Animal Welfare Law that will not be implemented on September 29:

Liability insurance

The new law requires all dog owners to take out civil liability insurance for their pet against damages to third parties. The future regulation should determine, among other things, the type of coverage necessary by type of dog. In the case of potentially dangerous dogs (PPP), there is already a specific rule, in force since 2002, which requires minimum coverage of 120,000 euros.

Training courses

The training course to own a dog also needs to be regulated but at the moment, all that is known is that will be free and indefinitely valid.

It is intended, according to the Animal Welfare Law, to “facilitate correct responsible ownership of the animal, often conditioned by the absence of knowledge in management, care and possession.”

Positive pet list

The government plans to develop a comprehensive list of animals, apart from dogs, cats and ferrets, that are allowed to be kept as pets in Spain. This catalogue should cover birds, reptiles, mammals, amphibians, fish, primates etc., but it is nowhere near ready right now.

It’s estimated that it will take around two years for this part of the law to come into effect and once it does, species that are omitted won’t be permitted in private homes. If a person has an animal that is not included in the list, they must notify the competent authority within six months, but for now, this regulation won’t be enforced.

Now read: Number of pets in the home limited by new Animal Welfare Law in Spain

Image: Freepik

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